Brothers
by Zel-2219
Summary: Zel and River are brothers living with their parents in a remote part of the Sinnoh Region. They aren't exactly the best of buds, but that quickly changes as many events transpire around these Buizel brothers.
1. Chapter 1

It was morning in the Sinnoh region. The sun was barely in the sky before a certain Buizel was awake to greet it. Zel had followed his usual custom of being the first to wake up in his family. His parents weren't far behind, however, each rising from their sleep less than 10 minutes after Zel. River, however, was a different story. Even after everyone was already fully awake, River could still be seen snoring away the start of the morning, and breakfast, away.

"River, you're missing breakfast," Mist started, "Wake up, or there'll be nothing left," The only sounds after that was more of River's snoring. Mist sighed after a minute, and then turned and asked, "Zel, could you go wake up your brother?"

"Could I finish my breakfast first?" he asked. Zel was happily eating the last of a Pecha berry when his mom requested he wake River, "And if River doesn't wake up, could I have his breakfast?"

Mist let out a small chuckle at his request, "You can finish your share, but then wake up River, and don't eat any of his food. He needs to eat too."

"Alright, mom," he said as he finished off what was left in his pile. He picked himself up and headed deeper into the cave, where River was gently snoring away. His sleep was about to be interrupted though…

When he got right next to River, he shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Hey! River!"

There was no response. River sure was a heavy sleeper. After the failed attempt, Zel decided to use a more physical method of waking his brother. He got down right next to him and started prodding at his body.

"C'mon, wake up!"

"Uhhnnggg…"

"C'mon, River, wake up!"

"Go away Zel…"

"Not until you wake up."

Hearing that River was awake, or, rather, conscious, Mist decided to speak up, "River, if you don't wake up, I'll give your breakfast to Zel."

Hearing that made Zel's mouth start to drool. He had noticed in the pile that was made for River a delicious assortment of berries, but one in particular, a nice, big Wacan berry, his favorite.

"You can go back to sleep, River…" Zel said with a huge grin on his face. "I'll take good care of your breakfast."

His mother spoke up immediately after that, "Zel, no, I was kidding. River still has to eat."

Hearing that made Zel's smile fade to a hurt look, "But you said-"

Mist cut him off, "If he's willing to share what he doesn't eat with you, then that's fine, but he still needs to eat something."

A loud yawn brought everyone's attention back to the sleeping Buizel on the ground, "If he wants my breakfast, he can have it," River said in a sleepy tone, "I'm never hungry until lunch, anyways…"

Suddenly, a voice that had been quiet the entire time spoke up, "River, get your lazy tail out of bed and eat your breakfast!"

Everyone turned to look at the one who said that. It was Wake, who, until now, had been silently sitting near the cave opening looking for any signs of trouble. He was getting slightly irritated at River's attitude, and decided to take some initiative in it.

"Your brother is five years younger than you, and he does more than you do!" Wake stated, "Even when you were his age, you were still the same lazy bum you are now!"

River had finally sat up in his bed of leaves, but merely replied, "I wasn't as bad 5 years ago. Zel's constant wailing kept me up half the time," he let out an audible yawn soon after.

Hearing that smart-aleck remark only made Wake more irritated. Mist was trying her best to calm him down, but River's attitude had finally gotten to him. He had put up with it for a very long time and had finally reached his boiling point. He tried his best to get River to try fishing with him, to no avail, but now, he was ready to drag River out by his tail to teach him. Instead, he got a rather clever idea.

"Then how about I let Zel be the first one to be able travel into the forest without one of us with him?"

When he said that, all eyes were on Wake. Zel was almost unable to contain his happiness. Being able to find other Pokemon to play with was something that he wanted to be able to do for quite some time now. River simply stared, then turned his head, believing that this was just another joke. Mist, however, believed Wake was serious. She worried about what might happen to Zel, should he be able to venture into the forest without one of them with him.

She tried her best to reason with Wake, "You can't be serious. He doesn't even know how to control his abilities."

"Don't worry. I won't let him go if he's not able to hold his own against me," Wake smirked, then turned to Zel, "We'll have our little scrimmage match in three days. However, during that time, I want you to learn to control your moves. I'm not sending you in there if you are unable to defend yourself."

Zel almost couldn't believe his ears. Two almost unreal things had been said. Going into the forest by himself, and having to fight his dad? Half of him was almost unable to contain itself with joy, but the other half was filled with concern. If he was unable to meet his dad's expectations, he wouldn't be allowed into the forest. He realized he had some serious training to do, and what better teacher than your dad?

"Do you think you could teach me to control my moves?" Zel asked his father.

Wake simply smiled and happily replied, "Of course. I may be fighting you, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to help you."

Mist still had her doubts but trusted Wake's judgment. She knew that if Zel could hold his own against Wake, he would be fine.

River, however, started to get increasingly concerned about what was just said. He was starting to believe that his father was serious in letting Zel go unsupervised, but still tried to call it a fake, "You're bluffing. Even if Zel is able to beat you, you'll never let him go."

"It's that attitude that's the reason why you're not allowed in the forest," Wake said with a hint of anger, "Maybe stories of Zel's travels into the forest will get you to change that."

"He'll never do it…" River simply stated.

Zel, meanwhile, was getting even more pumped up at everything that has happened. If he could do this, he might finally get some respect from River, "I'll show you! C'mon, Dad, what are we waiting for?" Zel shouted, not wanting to waste anymore time. He wanted to learn as much as he possibly could.

"Heh, alright, let's head outside. I don't think your mother would approve of us training in here."

As Wake and Zel wandered off out of the cave, Mist still had her concerns but decided to take advantage of the moment to handle a different problem, "You want your breakfast now, River?"

"Whatever…" He said, as he lazily got up from his sitting position to walk over to his pile of berries that had just been sitting idle the whole time, "He'll still never let him go…"

* * *

Zel followed Wake to a place not too far from their home. This was one of few places where Zel and River could be at without their parents, but probably because the area is still in eyeshot of the cave. Wake started off by moving some boulders about half his size into a makeshift target area.

For the rest of the day, taking breaks every so often, Wake taught Zel everything he needed to know about what he can do.

"Focus as much energy you can into your tail and fire it at your target. This is how you use your Sonicboom attack."

Zel had already used a Sonicboom in the past, but it was entirely by accident. He had gotten River so angry at him, that he ended up being pinned under River, which was odd considering Zel's increased size. Flailing around, he ended up trying to smack River off with his tail, and ended up firing off a few uncontrolled Sonicbooms. River did not speak to Zel for a long time after that accident.

Now, though, he was learning to control it and be able to use it whenever he pleased.

"Now, try to smash up some of these rocks with a Sonicboom," Wake directed.

Zel was trying to focus as much as he could into his tail, but every attempt ended up as nothing more than a refreshing breeze.

Not wanting Zel to get discouraged, Wake tried again to give advice, "Try not to think about it too much. Remember the first time you used it, against River. You weren't thinking about using the attack and it came out."

Zel chuckled a bit, and then relaxed himself. He tried to focus any energy into his tail as calmly as he could. After a minute, he jumped and swung his tail around and a much more powerful wave of energy came forth. It traveled at impressive speeds and smashed into the boulders that were used as targets. The resulting impact ended up splintering the boulder into small chunks.

As Zel landed, he became overjoyed with his recent achievement.

"Very impressive, Zel. Now you just need to learn to use that power in the heat of battle," Wake said, wondering if he would be able to recreate that power under pressure, "Try it again, but this time, run at the target and imagine that there are multiple attacks coming at you."

Zel nodded and ran full speed at the target area. He started jumping from side to side, dodging the invisible attacks, until he at last jumped in the air and attempted the attack. Swinging his tail around, he was able to produce another powerful wave of energy. It smashed into the target and had the same effect as his standing shot.

Once again, as he landed, he was overcome with joy. He started hopping around and cheering at his recently awakened power.

Wake was a little surprised at Zel's progress. He wasn't able to fully comprehend the speed at which Zel was improving, "We might have to have our match sooner, or I might be in trouble," Wake joked to himself.

Unknown to both Wake and Zel, they were being watched. River wasn't able to resume his usual tendency to sleep as much as he could. No, he had too much on his mind to be able to sleep. He decided he'd spy on Zel as he trained, "That brat… Why does he get all the attention and special training?"

"Because he takes action to try something new, unlike you."

River jumped when he heard that. He quickly turned to see his mom, Mist, standing there holding a basket of freshly picked berries.

"Maybe if you were more like Zel, you'd be able to do what Zel is achieving," Mist said to River, "Do you even know why your father suggested this whole idea in the first place?"

River, not wanting to think about it, gave no response.

Mist caught his lack of care for the subject, but continued anyway, "He suggested this to try to teach you something, something you lack. Responsibility. Zel is 5 years younger than you, and your father is trying to prove that he is a more responsible Pokemon than you are, River."

"So? Why should I care about responsibility?" River asked in a blunt, uncaring tone.

"Responsibility is what will make you successful in life, River. You won't always have us around to take care of you. You've got to learn to take action and not be such a lazy Pokemon."

"Just leave me alone…" River told his mother. He was in no mood to talk about the subject anymore and started to walk in the direction of the cave.

"Oh, River…" Mist simply stared as her frustrated son walked away. She turned to check on Zel and Wake, who were now practicing Zel's Water Gun attack, which, by the look of things, was going well.

"I hope this works, Wake," She said to herself as she also started to walk back to the cave.

* * *

It was late now, and the sun was starting to get low. Wake called out to Zel, "Hey, I think it's time to get back home, we've done enough for today."

"Yea, alright," Zel responded with unusual enthusiasm. He didn't want to show it, but he was exhausted from all this training.

"We'll work on Aqua Jet tomorrow, son," Wake stated as they walked back, receiving a simple nod from Zel.

Back at the cave, Mist had already divided the berries up for their dinner. Since Wake was training Zel, he wasn't able to catch any fish for them to eat, so berries were all that was on the menu. Zel was incredibly hungry and wasted no time in eating at his pile of berries.

Mist had decided to keep her and River's talk a secret for now, but the expression of pure hate was on full display in River's face. He shot a few angry looks over to both his father and brother, none of which were caught by either of them. Zel was too busy stuffing his face, and Wake was telling Mist about Zel's progress.

With the day almost over, everyone decided it was time for bed. Zel walked over to his bed and simply collapsed down onto it and was out like a light. The day's training really wore him out. Wake and Mist settled down on their beds and also fell asleep relatively quickly.

River, however, was unable to sleep. Just as before in the afternoon, he had too many thoughts running through his mind. All he could think about was his parents treating Zel much better than they treated him.

After what seemed like hours, the natural need for sleep finally started to overtake River's mind, and he too fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

The night went by quickly and the forest soon found itself under the radiant waves of the sun once again. However, there was someone missing from the usual morning picture. Even after the sun had been in the sky for 15 minutes, Zel was still able to be found spread out on the pile of leaves that is his bed. All the training with Wake the day before really tired him out.

However, one Buizel hadn't changed his habits at all. River was also found still on his bed, but there was something wrong. The leaves that made up the bed were all ruffled and spread out, like someone had shuffled their feet right through the bed. River had so many thoughts running in his mind that when he went to sleep, his thoughts manifested into nightmares.

Both parents, after they had awakened, saw River's condition and decided to wake him and try to find out what was wrong. It was very unlike River to toss and turn like that during his sleep, he always slept as still as a rock.

Mist decided to take the first action in waking River. She slowly walked over to River's bed, trying her best not to wake Zel in the process. She gently nudged at River's side.

"River? River, wake up, dear," She said in a quiet tone, trying her best not to wake Zel.

"Uhhnnn… No…" River mumbled, still fully asleep. He started shifting in his sleep again, concerning both parents greatly. Mist decided she needed to wake River, now.

"River? River, please, wake up," She said in a much louder tone, now more worried about River than if she woke Zel.

River again just shifted more in his sleep. "No… Don't… Don't leave… Me…"

Now, Mist was really frightened. She was ready to use her Water Gun attack to wake him up, but something happened before she was able to act. River's eyes shot open and he sat up almost instantaneously.

"No!"

His eyes were darting around, looking at everything in the room. The look on his face was one of pure terror. His breathing was very heavy and erratic. It looked like he had just been trapped by a Dusknoir.

Mist immediately tried to comfort River, not knowing what had put him in this state of intense fear. She was about to find out.

"River, what's wrong? Tell me what happened."

"No! Get away from me!" River shouted, pushing his mother away and bearing an extremely angry look on his face. He had gotten to his feet and was taking an aggressive pose towards his parents.

Wake was now the one to speak up, "River! What's wrong?"

"Get away! Leave me alone!"

As he shouted that, he instantly ran right past both his parents and out of the cave. After he was out, he immediately ran for the woods. He wanted nothing more than to be away from his parents.

Of course, they weren't gonna make it easy for him to. Wake was on his tail almost instantly.

"River! Get back here!" Wake glanced back at Mist, "Stay with Zel, I'll get River!" He ran full speed in the direction that River was heading. Mist, meanwhile, was in shock at what had just happened.

"Oh, River… What happened?" She turned to see Zel still dead asleep on his bed, oblivious to the fact that his brother is running away,"Why are you doing this?"

* * *

Wake was in full pursuit of River, who, for being a slacker, was pretty fast on his feet. They were dashing through the forest at full speed, jumping over bushes and rocks alike. All the while, Wake was trying to reason with River.

"River, stop this! You don't know where you're going!"

"No! Get away! I don't care where I go, as long as it's away from you!"

"River!"

The chase was getting to be very deep into the forest now. Trees were an almost inescapable obstacle. River tried to use that to his advantage, but his father's keen eyes were always dead set on him. Also, since Wake knew the topography better, he was able to maneuver around the trees much more easily than River could, slowly closing the gap between them.

Finally, Wake was in range to tackle River to the ground. He did just that, and the two of them skidded along the ground. Wake picked River up and restrained him the best he could, but River was still adamant on getting away from his father.

"Urrggghhh… Let me go!"

"Not until you tell me what's going on! Why did you try to run away?"

"Why should you care?"

"I'm your father, River! That's why! Now calm down, and talk to me. Why did you run from us? What were you dreaming about, before all this started?"

River didn't want to answer. He was still struggling to break free from his father's hold on him, but was unable to. He eventually exhausted what energy he had left. From the running and the struggling, he was completely drained.

Wake again tried to get him to talk, "River, what is wrong? Tell me."

Finally relaxed from exhaustion, River submitted to his father's request, and spoke what was troubling him, "Why do you treat Zel better than me?"

Wake did a quick double take after River blurted that line out. He found it hard to believe that River even thought that.

"You don't really think that we treat Zel better, do you?" His father asked.

"Yes… You're letting him into the forest. You're giving him all this special training. What reason do I have to 'not' think that?" River said scornfully.

Wake sighed before answering, "River, we're doing this to teach you something. You need to learn-"

"Responsibility, I know," River cut him off, "Mom told me the exact same thing."

Still unaware about the talk between Mist and River, Wake was a little surprised that he knew what they were trying to teach him.

River continued. "But, don't you think you could've found a better way to teach me, instead of dragging my little brother into this?"

"We tried, but you shot us down at every moment we tried to teach you," Not wanting to stay in the forest much longer, Wake decided to try to get River home, "C'mon, let's get back home. Can I trust you enough to let you go?"

"…Yes." River said, with a bit of reluctance.

His father released his grip on him and he fell to the floor. After getting up, and brushing himself off, they pair started to walk off back towards their home. Wake was still a little cautious of River, and kept a close eye on him, but as time passed, he started to believe that River wasn't going to try anything. That was the mistake that was going to cost him.

When they were halfway home, back in familiar territory, River started to fall back a little. Since Wake was no longer keeping such a keen eye on River, he was completely unaware at what was going to happen next.

River picked up a large stick and started to move towards his father. Before Wake could realize River was behind him, River clocked his dad in the back of the head with the makeshift club. The powerful Floatzel was instantly knocked unconscious from the hit and began to collapse to the ground. The back of his neck was almost immediately starting to turn red from blood.

River tossed the stick aside and started to rub his paws. He swung the stick with such fury, he nearly injured himself in the process. He began to walk off in a different direction, but stopped and turned to look at the Floatzel he had knocked out. "I don't need you, or Zel, anymore," he said, and with that, he walked away from his injured father and off back into the forest.

* * *

Back at the cave, Mist was getting increasingly worried about Wake and River. It was sunrise when River decided to run, and the sun was almost in the middle of the sky now. "They should've been back by now…" Ever since River started to run, and Wake following him, she had just been staring out at the forest edge. A sound from behind, though, had reminded her about her other son, Zel. He had finally awaked from his extended sleep, unaware of what had transpired while he was asleep.

Stretching his arms out, he groggily yawned, then turned to see his mother still just staring into the woods. Not knowing anything was the matter, he called out to her, "Hey, Mom, what's for breakfast?" Zel's insatiable appetite was as apparent as ever.

Mist just turned to see her son in his regular happy mood. She, however, was in a state of worry and fear. She still knew that Zel deserved to know what had happened while he was asleep, "Zel… Something happened."

Bearing a confused look on his face, Zel stared at his mother, wondering why she didn't answer his question about breakfast. He could tell something was amiss, though, and tried to find out what it was.

He looked around the cave to see if anything was out of place. His father's absence was to be expected, he thought, so he paid no mind to that fact. What did catch his eye, however, was the state in which River's bed had been left. All thought of food instantly dropped from his mind, and he only focused on River. He was never out of bed before him. In fact, he was never out of his bed at all! He bore a very concerned look when he turned to his mother, "Mom? Where's River?"

Mist wanted to tell Zel exactly what happened, but something prevented her from doing that. Turning her mind back to the length of time it has been since she last saw either River or Wake, she decided to go in search for them, but she couldn't leave Zel alone at the cave, so she had to take him with her. "Zel, we need to go somewhere. We have to hurry, though. There's not much time," she explained.

At that moment, Zel knew something was wrong, and he knew it was centered on his brother, "Did something happen to River?"

Still wanting to explain, but still finding herself unable to, she simply replied, "There's no time right now, Zel. Just follow me."

"Al…right," Zel replied as he got up from his bed and followed his mother out of their home and into the forest.

Mist didn't know exactly where Wake and River were, but she had a general direction. As she led the way, Zel had many thoughts running through his mind, 'Did River get captured in the night?' he thought to himself. All he knew was that his mother was extremely shaken up at the moment, and decided it best to just follow her commands for now.

They didn't have to walk for very long before they came upon a very grim scene. In the distance, Mist saw what looked like an orange, yellow, and red blob lying on the ground. After she got a few feet closer, she instantly froze up and stared in disbelief.

Zel saw his mother stop moving and decided to see what caused her temporary paralysis. He peeked around from behind his mom and saw the same blob lying on the ground. It hit both the Floatzel mother and Buizel son at the same time, exactly who this blob was.

"Wake!" "Dad!"

Both instantly began to sprint over to the fallen Floatzel. He was just starting to regain consciousness as they appeared next to him, which was surprising considering his injuries. Mist was quick to command Zel to give his father some room, while she attempted to rouse Wake further.

He started to wriggle a little, signaling that he was awake, but he was still incredibly weak. His tried to get up onto his feet, but found himself too weak to be able to do anything of the sort.

As he opened his eyes, he saw Mist and Zel, but not the one who he set out to get. He could feel his ears ringing and a massive pain throughout his head, but he didn't know exactly what caused this pain. His first instinct was to find out about the missing family member, "Uuhhnnnngggg… Where's… River?"

"Wake, you're bleeding badly from your head. We've got to get you bandaged up before we worry about anything else," Mist said. She gathered up some leaves from the nearby trees and started to wrap them around his head like bandages. Zel, meanwhile, was exploring the immediate area, looking for any sign of his brother or, to his knowledge, the attacker. What he found, though, scared him half out of his fur.

"Mom? Dad? You might want to take a look at this," he said, pointing to a large stick in the brush, one end of it painted red and the other having small strands of orange and cream colored hairs stuck to it. Both Mist and Wake didn't want to believe that it was River who had done this to him, but that stick was all the evidence they needed to confirm that's what had happened.

"Dammit! Why did I take my eyes off of him?" Wake yelled out, cringing in pain afterwards. The wound on his head was almost covered up, but nothing could be done about the pain. Mist tried to calm him down, so that he didn't hurt himself any further.

"Wake, you've got to relax. I'm almost done patching this up."

"But what about River!" Wake shouted, again causing his head immense pain.

"We'll worry about River later. Right now, we've got to worry about you! Zel, get on the other side of your father. Let's get him back to the cave," Mist directed.

Zel just stared at the weapon used by his brother against his father, completely oblivious to what his mother just asked of him. He still couldn't believe that River would even have done such a thing. His mother was quick to snap him back to reality, and his injured father.

"Zel, we've got to get your father home, where it's safer. Please, come help me."

"Oh… Uh, ok…" Zel replied, looking back briefly at the stick before helping his father to his feet.

* * *

With the aid of his family, Wake was able to make it back to the cave, but he was still incredibly weak. Mist spared no time in gathering what berries she had to try to restore some of his strength. Zel just crawled on top of a rock and started to try and piece together what had just happened. His normal, energetic self was replaced with a worried and hurt Buizel.

"Why did River do this?" Zel asked, trying to get some answers.

"I don't know, Zel…" Mist replied as she set down as many berries that she could find, "Wake, what happened back there? What do you remember?"

Wake was sitting against the wall of the cave, trying to keep himself awake. He was quick to grab a berry when Mist set them down next to him. As he munched on a restorative Sitrus berry, he tried to remember what he could.

"I remember chasing him deep into the forest. I kept trying to reason with him, but he just kept yelling at me to 'stay away.' I was able to catch up to him and tackle him to the ground," Wake started to slide from his upright position, but Mist was quick to catch and correct him. After another berry, he continued, "I had to restrain him so he couldn't get away again. He was finally willing to talk a little after exhausting himself, and said that we treated Zel better than we did him."

Hearing that made Zel almost start to cry. Deep down, he couldn't help but feel responsible for what had happened to his brother and father. His mother sensed this, and immediately went over to comfort him.

"Zel, it's alright. You did nothing wrong," Mist said in the softest tone she could make, "Your brother is just confused a little, that's all."

"No… He did this because of me," Zel stated, "Dad's hurt and River's gone all because of me."

"Zel, no. I was the one who suggested the whole idea in the first place," Wake said, "You did nothing wrong. There's no one to blame for this, not even River."

"How come there's no one to blame for this?" Zel asked, believing that someone had to be responsible.

"Like your mother said, he's just confused," Wake replied. In truth, he actually didn't know if there was anyone to blame, or what River's intentions were.

"So, what happened next?" Mist asked, wanting to know the rest of the story.

"We talked a little more, then I asked if he was willing to go home without me having to carry him there," Wake again started to fall over, but he was able to catch himself this time and continued, "He said yes, so I let him down, and for the start of it, he seemed to have calmed down. I guess I trusted him too much and let my guard down. I didn't even see it coming…"

Zel finally broke down and started to cry. He got up from the rock he was sitting on and slowly walked deeper into their cave home, to where he and River slept. Wake was finished with his recollection and focused on eating something to restore his strength, while Mist went over to Zel to try to comfort him.

"Zel, you know you did nothing wrong," Mist said.

But Zel was too caught up in his own mind to hear her, just like before. He just continued to stare down at River's bed, which still had all the leaves strewn about, "Why did you leave, River? Why?"

Mist sighed, then decided it would be best to leave him be for the moment. She went back to check on Wake's condition. With him out of commission for a while, if any predators decided to attack, they would be in immense danger.

Mist went out to get some better bandages for to use for Wake's head wound. When she returned, she started to replace the old leaves with the newer ones.

"Wake, when I'm done here, I want you to get some rest," Mist ordered, "That's the only way this'll heal."

"How's Zel holding up?" Wake asked.

"I don't know…" Mist replied, casting a quick glance to see what Zel was doing.

Zel was still sitting next to River's bed, crying at having lost his brother. Mist had left him some berries, in case he got hungry, but he never even touched them, not even the Wacan berry she had left on top.

Everyone was wishing that River would walk into the cave before they went to sleep, but that's all that it was, a wish.

As night began to fall, Mist decided that they should all try and get to sleep. Wake had already been sleeping beforehand, still not fully able to keep himself awake. Zel just crawled onto his brother's bed and curled up into a ball, slightly crying as he tried to sleep. Eventually, Zel was able to fall asleep, though it was far from restful.

Mist was the last one awake. She simply stared out of the cave towards the forest, wondering where her son was. As she, too, lay down on her bed, she silently wished for her son's safety.

"Oh, River… Please… Be safe."

* * *

Over the next few days, everyone's focus was on finding any sign of River. Unfortunately, there was never any sign of him. Zel was always found just staring out at the trees, just hoping that he would see his brother walk out of them, but that vision never came true. While Wake was resting, Mist decided to go into the forest to actively look for River. She was never gone for more than half an hour though, not wanting to leave Wake or Zel for too long. Each day that passed, the family grew the more concerned, over not only what could've happened to River, but what it was doing to them.

Zel's normal abundance of energy was no longer present. All that was seen was a depressed Buizel. Wake's condition was improving, but he was still in no condition to fight. The days did pass by calmly, with no surprise attackers, but the danger always lurked.

On the third day since River's disappearance, the day was passing by rather quietly. Wake was still sleeping, his injury just starting to heal up, Zel was continuing looking at the trees, and Mist was just sitting, worried for River's safety.

Zel's eyes were keen to see any movement in the woods, and today, he was not going to like what he would see.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the brush rustling a little. He immediately put his focus to that area, where the rustling continued.

"Mom? There's something in the woods…" Zel said in a very worried tone.

Mist responded by looking in the direction of the trees. She, too, saw the rustling and tried to make out what it was. She noticed that there were multiple figures in the brush, and that got her extremely worried.

"Wake… Wake, get up…" She said as she tried to rouse Wake from his sleep, "Wake, there's something in the forest, get up."

Wake slowly started to rise from his sleep, "Urgh… What's happening?"

"I don't know, but there's something in the forest," Mist responded.

"What is? What's in the forest?" Wake again asked, but this time, the answer was much clearer.

Out of nowhere, a large Mightyena leaped from behind the brush and sprinted for the cave. Wake immediately tried to get up. He still believed that he is still the one to protect the family from danger, but he was too woozy from his head injury to be able to do anything. Finally, he gave up and called out to Zel, "Zel! You've got to take care of him!"

"What? But… I can't… There's no way," Zel replied as he watched the black figure getting closer to his home.

"You can! Just remember the training! You can do it, Zel!" His father shouted, starting to get all the more unstable.

The Mightyena was fast approaching. Zel simply stared; paralyzed with fear. It didn't help that the Mightyena's ability, Intimidate, was also adding to that fear. A stream of water passed by Zel, as his mother responded to his inactivity with a Water Gun of her own, but it wasn't as powerful as Wake or Zel's, even though she was a Floatzel. It didn't do much damage, and the Mightyena just shook off the attack and continued for the cave.

As the wolf Pokemon arrived at the cave, it instantly went for what it thought the easiest prey, Zel. Zel just stood there, still paralyzed with fear, and closed his eyes as the Mightyena jumped for him with its jaws opened wide.

A bloodcurdling scream could be heard moments after, but it didn't come from Zel. Mist had thrown herself in front of Zel, to save him from the attack. Zel's eyes shot open when he heard the scream, and couldn't believe what he saw. The wolf Pokemon had its teeth sunk into Mist's upper arm. Deciding to change plans, it proceeded to start gnawing at her arm; its powerful jaws were threatening to rip off her arm, which was now starting to be stained red.

To repel the beast, she fired another Water Gun at the Pokemon, this time aiming for where his mouth was slightly cracked open. She managed to choke the wolf Pokemon with water, and the beast let go of her arm to be able to breathe. Mist instinctively grabbed where she was bit, trying to keep pressure on it to keep it from bleeding. It was badly damaged, but she could still feel her arm, meaning that the bite hadn't done extensive damage.

After seeing his mother being injured by this Pokemon, all the fear of the Mightyena itself was replaced with a new fear: A fear of losing the rest of his family. He had already lost River, and was not going to let this Pokemon take away what he had left.

Zel walked out in front of Mist; with a new look in his eyes, a look of determination and anger. He was determined to prevent this beast from causing any more harm to his family.

The Mightyena moved in for another attack, but this time, its attack was met with a powerful Water Gun attack, courtesy of Zel. The blast of water repelled the beast much more effectively than the one used by Mist. The wolf Pokemon lost its balance from the stream of water and fell over to the ground. Zel immediately followed up by firing off a few Sonicboom attacks towards the beast, each one hitting its mark, causing significant damage.

The wolf Pokemon responded with a loud howl to the sky, signaling that more trouble was on its way. Seconds later, another Mightyena jumped from behind the brush to join its pack-mate and proceeded to team up against Zel. However, Zel was about to get an advantage.

Still injured and holding her wound, Mist decided to use the last of her strength to help Zel. She focused a natural energy into her, then shot a brilliant white light towards the sky. Moments later, dark clouds started to form in the sky. After the cloud blocked out the sun, it had started to rain. Mist had used her Rain Dance move to give Zel an advantage in the fight. Buizels and Floatzels both have the ability Swift Swim, which raises their speed to incredible heights in the rain. When she finished, she collapsed to the ground, next to Wake. The rest was now up to Zel.

As the rain fell around him, Zel felt as light as a feather and more powerful than ever before. He quickly sped right past both charging Mightyenas and fired of an even more powerful Water Gun at both of them. The increased power was able to take the already injured one out of commission, but his friend was still able to get back on his feet and decided to try to attack the defenseless Floatzels lying in the cave.

"No! Get away from them!" He shouted, as he felt his body encased in a sphere of water. He never got the opportunity to practice the move, but he still was able to produce an amazing Aqua Jet. He sped towards the Mightyena, easily able to out-speed it, and smashed right into its side. The impact sent it flying a long ways away from where it got hit and also knocked it unconscious.

Zel broke the attack, and got back into a defensive position, ready to protect his family from any more potential attackers. Unfortunately for him, there were plenty more. Another group of two Mightyena jumped from the brush. They ran to separate sides of Zel to try to attack him from both sides.

Zel braced himself for the oncoming attacks, clenching his paws in anger and anticipation. However, something happened at that moment. He started to feel a strange sensation around his right paw. Looking at it, it was glowing with a dazzling white light. It also felt very… cold.

The Mightyena were both closing in fast, and, snapped back into the situation, Zel decided to test what this light in his paw does. As both of the attackers went in to bite him, Zel jumped at the last second to dodge their attacks, and caused them to crash into each other. He then followed up by swinging his paw down on top of both of the dazed Pokemon. Half of his paw hit one, while the other half hit the other Mightyena. Both Pokemon had their faces plowed into the ground, but that wasn't the only thing to happen. A creeping chill started to engulf both Pokemon as they were slowly being encased in ice.

From the cave, Mist simply stared in amazement at what had just happened. Zel learning to use Ice Punch at this time simple baffled her. She just stared motionless as she was about to get another huge surprise.

Upon seeing that four of their pack has already been beaten by a little Buizel, the Alpha of the pack called out for every one of them to start to attack. With a loud howl, the remaining Mightyena, about eight more of them, charged from behind the bushes.

Zel was still wondering how he managed to freeze those last two Pokemon, but was instantly brought back to the battle when he heard the loud howling sound. Bracing himself for the worst, he focused another Ice Punch into his paw, and prepared himself for the final assault.

"No!"

Seemingly out of nowhere, a figure encased in a sphere of water emerged from the woods. The figure smashed into each of the Mightyena, one by one, taking them all out with just one hit.

The Alpha of the pack, now in a blind rage, started to run full speed towards Zel. Zel simply smirked and met the Alpha with a powerful uppercut of his Ice Punch. The hit instantly froze the Alpha and sent him flying into the air, crashing back down yards away. After seeing that their leader had been defeated, all the Mightyena picked themselves up and made a mad dash for the forest.

The sky started to clear up as the effect of Mist's Rain Dance started to dissipate. Now that the danger was over, Zel could focus on who the figure that helped them out was. After the stream of water broke, he could make out that it was a Buizel. After the Buizel landed, he turned to face Zel and his family. Tears started to well up in Zel's eyes as he got a good look at just who the Buizel was.

"River!"

Zel started to run as fast as he could towards his brother. When he got within five feet of him, he jumped up and tackle-hugged River to the ground.

"Hey! What was that for?" River asked in a very upbeat tone, and even laughed afterwards.

"I thought I'd never see you again!" Zel said, holding back his tears as best he could.

"I thought I'd never see you again, either. I'm sorry, Zel…" River responded in a somber tone this time, "Where's Dad?"

"He's in the cave…" Zel replied.

Back at the cave, Mist simply stared at the two brothers, unable to believe that her son has returned.

"Wake... It's River. He's back. River's back!" Mist said, growing louder with each word said.

"What? He is?" Wake asked in disbelief, "Help me up. I need to go talk to him."

Mist responded by helping Wake to his feet and keeping him steady on the way towards the brothers. She had managed to bandage up her arm with some spare leaves that were not used for Wake's injury.

When the family all met outside the cave, there were mixed emotions throughout the family. Silence also overtook them for a minute. Wake was quick to break the silence.

"River, what happened to you?" Wake asked in a stern voice, "Why did you nearly kill me?"

River hung his head low and closed his eyes. After a minute, he finally spoke up. "I wish I'd have never done that to you… I resented you for treating Zel better than me, with all the training and that stuff. I had so much anger inside me that I lost sight of who you were. I didn't see you as my father, I saw you as someone trying to hold me back. I thought that I would be better off if I was by myself than if I was with you, anyways.

"That day… I was almost glad that I was rid of you. I went on trying to improve what skills I already had, but with no one else there, I started to realize my mistake. I wanted to return, but I was afraid of that you'd not want me anymore."

River was starting to get choked up. He was trying his best to hold back his emotions, but they were stronger than what he could hold back. "But I was wrong. I was wrong to think all those thoughts. I was wrong to think that I could do better on my own. Nothing that you guys do has ever hurt me in any way. You were all trying to help me."

River had started to cry now, but he still had one more thing to say, "Dad?" Wake's attention was already fully on River, "I'm sorry for betraying you."

The whole time, throughout River's speech, everyone was trying their best to hold back their emotions. Zel was right next to his brother, happy to levels that are unexplainable. He just couldn't believe that this was the same River from a few days ago.

Mist and Wake also couldn't believe the change in River's attitude. Mist wanted to go over to River to hug him, but was unable to because she was holding Wake up. Wake, meanwhile, simply smiled.

"River, my son, you will always have us with you. We are a family, and every family does have its bad times, but, in the end, things always work out," Wake stood himself up, without Mist's help, and walked over to River.

"Welcome home, River," Wake said, while hugging his son.

River blinked his eyes a few times, not able to believe that his father had so easily forgiven him, "So, you're not mad at me?" River had to ask.

"No, I'm not. I'm just happy to see you're safe and with us again," Wake replied, tears now starting to well up in his eyes.

"Heh, well, we have Zel to thank for that." River said, earning a few confused looks from his family, "It was my memories of Zel that caused me to see my errors. Zel had someone with him when he was training, someone to direct him, help him, praise him. I also began to miss him as my brother. I've not been a very good role model for him, but he somehow ended up being totally different from me. He also ended up being a kind of role model for me, I guess…" River turned to his brother by his side and smiled, something that he rarely ever did.

Zel simply replied by hugging his brother even tighter than before. The rest of the family also moved in to share a happy family hug.

"It's good to be home."


	2. Chapter 2

A few days have passed since River's return to his family. The initial joy of his return had subsided fairly quickly and the family now focused on returning to their normal lifestyles. Wake's injury had almost completely healed now; the only thing that remained was a large scar along the back of his head. He was able to return to his normal duties of providing for his family. He didn't have to worry as much about protecting, however, because both River and Zel have proved themselves both capable of holding their own in a fight.

Mist's bite wound to her arm was healing nicely, although it still needed to be bandaged. She made a make-shift sling to keep it covered at all times, even though it hindered her ability to use the arm. Any of her berry runs had now proved to be slightly more difficult, but far from impossible. The only problem that arose was the actual picking of the berries, but she always found a way to get a sufficient amount to feed her family.

While the parents resumed their lives with relatively no change, the lives of the kids were forever altered, most noticeably in River. He was no longer the Snorlax in a Buizel's fur, who only cared about his own interests. Granted, he still wasn't all enthusiastic to doing certain things, but he was more open to try them. He had finally been persuaded by his father to attempt fishing, which he found out that he was a natural at. Returning from his first trip to the lake, he threw down the largest Magikarp anyone in the family has ever seen!

River also found time to help out using up his brother's energy reserves, although not through playing games or other things that Zel would've preferred a week ago. Both brothers spent a large amount of time training their abilities by having battles against each other. The fights never went so far as to injuring the other, but still intense enough to give them valuable experience.

There was one problem with Zel, though. He wasn't able to use his Ice Punch in any of the fights against River! He tried as best he could to reproduce the power he felt back from the fight with the Mightyena, but it seemed like the power only appeared when he needed it most. When he confronted his father about this, Wake simply replied saying that it's a power that is unique to him only and that he'd have to master it on his own.

Neither Wake nor Mist could believe how much both River and Zel have grown in the past week, both physically and mentally. River adopting an entirely new personality and Zel becoming a strong Buizel for his age simply baffled both parents. They knew they've done a good job raising them, and were proud to call them their children.

* * *

It was an unusually nice day in the Sinnoh region. There were no clouds in the sky, and the wind was blowing a gentle breeze across the land. The family was found lying around outside the cave, enjoying the warm sunlight. Realizing that a day like this doesn't come often, and that it had been a while since their last family outing, Wake decided it a perfect time to gather them all up for a nice little trip to the lake. The best thing about the lake was that even though it was filled with many species of fish Pokemon, none of them were dangerous in any way. If any Magikarp were about to evolve, those ones would always swim downstream, towards the ocean where Gyarados are much better off.

Wake picked himself up and called out towards the rest of the family, "Hey guys, how'd you like to take a little trip to the lake for a day of swimming?"

Of course, Zel was the first one to respond to the idea, "Yea! It's been forever since I was last there."

"Sure. It'd be nice to swim a little without having to catch anything," River replied shortly after Zel.

Mist knew that it was a good idea for them to spend some time having fun together, even if she couldn't join them in the water due to her injury, but she still could watch them from the shore. "I'll go grab us some berries, in case we get hungry," she said as she walked into the cave. Poking back out, she called to everyone there, "Could I get someone to help me carry them?"

"I'll help you, Mom. What do ya need me to do?" Zel was the one to answer Mist's question, jumping up and walking towards the cave.

Mist smiled at Zel's enthusiasm, "Thanks, Zel. Just come carry a couple baskets of berries. That should last us for the day."

As they gathered berries into baskets, River got up from where he was laying and stretched his arms out. His muscles were already starting to stiffen up as the time for swimming drew closer. Wake had walked over to him and patted him on the back, smiling when River looked over at him. This in turn caused River to smile back at him.

When Mist and Zel returned from the cave, they were carrying three baskets filled to the brim with berries. Zel was carrying two of the baskets, while Mist had the other one. The family was now ready for their trip and started off towards the lake.

* * *

The walk to the lake wasn't a long one, and the family found themselves at the edge of the water fairly quickly. It was a fairly large lake, able to sustain its population with ease. Another special detail about this lake was that of it shoreline. If you weren't able to see the trees on the other side of the lake, one who was just set there would believe that this was the ocean. The sands of the lake were like that of the oceans, white and fine. It was like a beach paradise without the salt water.

As the family walked onto the fine sands of the lake, Zel wasted no time in placing the baskets he was carrying next to his mother and running out towards the water. There was a large rock extending out from the lake floor that made for a perfect spot to dive from. Zel clambered up the rock and right after he got to the top, he jumped off of it and into the water in a graceful dive. Feeling the water rush by him brought an amazing joy to the Buizel. He effortlessly swam around under the water, using his tails as propellers, as all Buizels and Floatzels swim. He caught sight of all the different species of fish Pokemon as he was swimming around. He even proceeded to swim directly through a school of Remoraid, causing them to scatter in every direction.

He was quickly joined by his brother, who had entered the water the exact same way Zel had. River easily caught up to his brother, and the two began to swim around the lake together. They swam around for about 10 minutes before they had to surface to breathe. The floatation sac around their necks allowed them to float on the surface of the water easily but could also be used to store a little extra air for underwater escapades.

After about an hour of swimming around the lake, both brothers took a little break on the surface of the water. As they floated, resting, Zel got a devious idea to pull a prank on his brother. When River turned his head, he quickly dove underwater as deep as he could go. He quickly positioned himself directly below River and began to swim as fast as he could towards his brother. Right before impact, Zel put his arms out in front of him and grabbed hold of River's feet. The momentum he had going launched both Pokemon from the water and caused River to scream out at being displaced from the water.

As they both landed in the water again, they were quick to correct themselves and float at the surface again. Zel was laughing as hard as he could at River's reaction, "Oh, man," he laughed loudly again, "you should've seen your face when I launched you."

River took the joke in stride, but still decided to get some revenge, "Heh, I'd start running if I were you," and he instantly sped towards his brother.

"Yike!" Zel dove underwater and River began to chase after his brother. Zel tried to rely on maneuvering instead of speed to escape his brother, but River was always close behind and slowly gaining on him.

As all this was happening, Wake and Mist were still at the shoreline, smiling and laughing at the actions of the brothers. Wake had decided to keep Mist company, instead of swimming around himself. He was completely fine with that and rather enjoyed watching the two brothers, anyways. His mind was quick to drift to how things would be if River hadn't changed the way he did. He was quickly brought back to the lake, although the subject didn't change much.

"They really have grown so much, haven't they?" Mist asked, closing her eyes and smiling.

"Yea… They have," Wake replied, also smiling. It was going to be a while before they could be able to accept Zel and River's growth.

Back in the water, River was almost able to grab Zel. Both of them were near the end of their breath and would have to surface for air soon. River decided to use that time to get a hold on Zel, which was soon to be now. Zel shot up towards the surface and River took his chance. The second that Zel broke the surface, River was right on top of him, "Gotcha!" River held Zel in a headlock and had his feet wrapped around his body so he couldn't escape. River then began to grind his fist on the top of his brother's head.

Zel tried to escape, but his brother had a very good hold on him. Their difference in size also made this scene a little awkward, the smaller one winning over the larger one. As his brother continued his revenge, Zel spoke up in protest, "Gah. Enh. River, sto-ah-stop that."

River simply laughed and said, "Ha! No way, this is too much fun!"

"For you maybe!" Zel replied. He knew his brother meant no harm in it, just like he meant no harm in his prank, but it was starting to drag on a little now.

Laughter could be heard from far away by both brothers. It was Wake and Mist, laughing at the scene which they've just been spectating the entire time. Also sensing the prank dragging on, Mist decided to rescue Zel from his brother, "River, I think he gets it. You can let him go now."

River complied and released his brother, but his revenge still lingered in the form of Zel's head fur sticking up in every direction possible. River stared and blinked his eyes at the sight, then burst out laughing at the scene. The parents also couldn't contain themselves, for they were also laughing from the shore.

Zel wondered why everyone was laughing and looked down at his reflection in the water. "Nice… Real nice," he said sarcastically. Seeing his head like that had also caused him to chuckle a little. He tried to correct his hair by just rubbing his paws over it to try and flatten them down, but that only succeeded in making his head look even more outrageous and cause more laughter at his expense. Deciding to try a different tactic, he dove underwater and shook his head around to try and get the hairs all back to their respective areas. When he surfaced, his head looked a lot better than it did before, but still a little wild.

River chuckled a little when Zel resurfaced. "Now why did you have to go and ruin the fun like that? Heh heh, never mind. C'mon, I'm sure you're just as hungry as I am from that little round of fun, right?"

"Yea, you got that right," Zel replied, enthusiastic as ever. He couldn't tell he was hungry until River had mentioned the subject to him. The two Buizel brothers started to swim back to shore where their parents had spent the entire time that they've been in the water.

As they landed on the beach, they shook off as much water from their fur as they could. Being Buizels, their water repellant fur made swimming for them more streamlined and also helps them to dry off much faster. When they were dry to their liking, they started off towards their parents, who had already placed one of the baskets of berries in front of them.

"I assume this is what you wanted, right?" Mist said, smiling at the two starving Buizels. "You can eat as much as you like, and if we run out, we can always get more."

"Thanks Mom!" Zel shouted out as he sat down. He always had to be the first one to respond to anything, especially if it involved food.

"Yea, thanks," River replied as he also sat himself down. While Zel had sat next to their mother, River placed himself next to his father. Both Buizels wasted no time in grabbing a berry from the wide assortment they had brought. River wasn't too picky about what he ate, but always preferred it when he got a Pinap Berry. He loved the spicy and sour of those berries, but he wasn't willing to go to the lengths that Zel would for his favorite. Zel always had his eye on the basket, and if he caught sight of a Wacan Berry, he would've dove for it in a heartbeat.

"Oh, Zel," Mist said in a sing-song voice, "I have a little treat for you."

Zel directed his gaze away from the basket and towards his mother, and what he saw made his eyes light up like a Lanturn's antenna. It was a fairly big Wacan Berry, and the mere sight of it had Zel drooling.

"Here you go," Mist said as she tossed the berry over towards Zel. He wasted no time in dropping the half eaten berry he already had and catching the Wacan Berry. He wasted even less time in devouring it.

River merely chuckled at the actions of his brother, 'He would do anything for one of those berries,' River thought to himself, but his father caught his attention soon after Zel acquired his favorite.

"Now don't think we haven't caught onto your favorite berry, River. Here," Wake said as he produced a Pinap berry from behind him. "We've seen you around these before. Zel gets his favorite, and you get yours," Wake then tossed River his special treat. Unlike Zel, however, River had the decency to finish what he had already picked up before moving on to his Pinap Berry. Because Pinap Berries have a hard exterior, most of the other family members don't like the hassle that they bring, but River doesn't mind it one bit. He just bites down on the berry like it were any other, and the hard skin doesn't even faze him.

After the family was done with their lunch, they all just decided to watch the waves the wind would occasionally blow across the lake. The day was still young, the sun not even in the middle of the sky yet. The family just sat across the beach, staring into the lake with not a care in the world…

"*sniff*"

River perked his head up, "Huh? Did anyone hear anything just now?"

"Huh, what? I didn't hear anything," Zel replied, gazing over at his brother.

"*sniff*"

"There it is again."

Wake looked around, but saw nothing. "I think it might've been the wind, River," he said after his scan.

"I'm not so sure…" River replied, still a little cautious.

"He's right, Wake. I heard something as well," Mist said. She was also starting to scan the area for the source of the sound, but also found nothing.

All the family was scanning the area, half believing someone, or something, was there, while the other half thought it the wind. The latter's thoughts were soon to be proved false, though.

About 25 feet from where they were sitting, a small, blue and black figured walked out from the forest, and headed towards the lake. From the look on its face, the family could see that it was crying. Zel and River were wondering what this new Pokemon was. They've never seen one like it before. Wake and Mist, however, knew exactly what it was.

"It's a little Shinx," Mist said, inadvertently satiating the brothers' curiosity, "But what's one doing all alone all the way out here?"

"I'm not too sure," Wake replied, "Normally, their kind doesn't live on their own. Maybe it got separated."

All the while the family was talking, the Shinx barely moved from its position. It just stared down at the lake, tears pouring from its eyes.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Zel spoke up, rising from his position to go try and talk to the crying Shinx.

"Huh?" the Shinx turned its head and saw the whole family staring at her, and one of them moving towards it. "No! Stay away!" it cried out, backing up to try and keep away from the advancing figure.

"Huh? Wait, what?" Zel said, half wondering why this Pokemon was acting so hostile towards him.

"Zel! Get back here before you frighten the poor thing to death!" Mist called out. Zel was quick to obey his mother, and retreated back to his family. The Shinx's face displayed one of pure terror. It was incredibly frightened of something, and Zel's actions only made that fear worse.

"We don't mean any harm, little one," Mist said, trying to gain its trust.

However, the Shinx had different thoughts running through its mind, "No! You all want to hurt me!"

"Why would we want to harm you?" Mist asked, half shocked that the first thought in its head was that they wanted to harm it. "Here," Mist picked up an Oran Berry from one of the baskets and placed it on the ground. She then ordered the rest of the family to back away from the berry, which they promptly did.

The Shinx cautiously moved towards the berry, its actions overtaken by hunger. The family stayed well away from the berry, so to not distress the Shinx any further. It sniffed at the berry, and, when it realized it was real, started eating it.

"There's plenty more where that came from," Mist said, placing a few more berries on the ground, "Just come over here, we don't mean any harm."

The Shinx gradually made its way over to the pile of berries. As it was eating at the pile, Mist sat down next to the Shinx, causing it to back away again.

"It's ok, come here," Mist said as she offered even more berries to the hungry Shinx. The rest of the family just watched from the sidelines, not wanting to interfere until Mist gained its trust.

The Shinx stared at the berry offered by Mist, looked over to the rest of the family, and then finally said something, "Who are you?"

"Us? We're all a family. My name's Mist," she cast her gaze over towards the rest of the family, implying that she wanted them to introduce themselves as well.

"I'm Wake."

"My name's River."

"And I'm Zel. And, uh, sorry for scaring you like that earlier."

The Shinx just looked at the whole family for a bit. Hunger then drove it to another berry. As it ate at another Oran Berry, Mist just sat next to the Shinx and attempted to stroke it along its back. The Shinx was too busy eating to notice what Mist was doing, and rather enjoyed having its back stroked like that.

"Could you tell us your name, please?" Mist asked as it finished eating.

"It's W-Watt." There was a tone of reluctance in Watt's voice. It was apparently still frightened of something, but Mist wasn't going to get to that subject just yet. She wanted to make Watt as comfortable as possible.

"Watt. That's a lovely name," she turned to the rest of the family, "I think it's ok to come down now."

The family responded by all walking to where Mist and Watt were sitting. They all sat down a ways away from Watt, still not wanting to make it feel uncomfortable in any way.

Watt did start backing up as they all sat down, but later figured that they honestly meant no harm. "Why are you so nice to me?" Watt asked.

"Why wouldn't anyone be nice to someone who's been crying?" Mist responded. "We only did what we thought was right at the moment."

"That's what I was trying to do before; why I came over to you when you were crying at the lakeside," Zel said.

"And, you'll have to excuse my brother on that, Watt," River added, "He sometimes acts without thinking." River laughed a little at his remark.

"Hey! You don't need to fill his head with ideas like that!" Zel retorted.

"Uhh… I'm a 'her.'" Watt said shyly.

"Wait… What?" Zel's face instantly went red after he heard the correction Watt made, "Oh… Uhh, sorry about that…"

"See what I mean, Watt? Acts without thinking," River said. 'Oh boy, am I glad I didn't make that mistake,' River thought to himself.

"Sorry about that, Watt. There was no way for him to have known," Mist said.

"It's fine. As long as he now knows that I'm a girl," Watt replied. Her voice was now starting to get softer and not as tense. She was finally starting to relax a little.

There was something that the whole family wanted to bring up, but they all knew it would cause her to become sad again, and they didn't want that to happen. Mist, however, finally decided to ask, "Watt, could we ask you something?"

"You want to know why I was crying, don't you?" Watt replied, starting to bear the same sad face she had on when she first appeared.

"We're sorry for asking, but we just want to know. Maybe we could help in some way," Mist offered. If they knew more of the story, they actually could help Watt out somehow.

"It's… It's about my family. I got separated from them when we were attacked by these three shadowy Pokemon," tears started welling up in her eyes, but for some reason, she continued, "My parents, who are both Luxrays, tried to fend them off, but they were knocked out by some strange power they had. My older brother, who's a Luxio, told me to get to cover in the forest, and as I got there, he too was knocked out by the three. I-I just ran after that, leaving my family to whatever those three wanted to do. I don't even know why they attacked us. We did nothing to provoke them."

"Oh, you poor thing. That's why you were so scared of us before," Mist started stroking Watt along her back to try and comfort her any way possible.

"I-I abandoned my parents and my brother…" Watt burst out into tears as she said that, despite Mist's attempts at comforting her. "I wish I could've done more to help them, but I'm too weak. I can't even generate electricity yet."

"You did the right thing. Better that one of you escaped to tell what happened, rather than all of you captured," Mist told her.

"*sniff* I'd give anything to know if they were safe." Watt said.

"Hmm… Mist, could I talk to you for a minute?" Wake said suddenly. He had been idle the entire time, along with River and Zel, but, for some reason, decided to speak up.

Wake even surprised Mist with his unusual request, but accepted and started to pick herself up. "River, Zel, stay with Watt. We won't be long."

As the brothers sat next to Watt, Mist and Wake were walking until they were out of earshot. Wake then spoke what he had in mind. "We both know that we have to help this Shinx, right?"

"Of course."

"Well, instead of me going and doing all the searching, I was thinking about letting River and Zel go with Watt to find her family."

"What? You can't be serious! If what she said is true, then River and Zel would have no chance against those attackers," Mist shouted out, almost catching the attention of the brothers.

"Those boys work as a team. As long as they don't get into any arguments between themselves, they should be fine."

"But what if something does happen to them? How would we know?"

"We've got to trust them to not do anything stupid. We won't be able to know where they always are eventually, and I believe that they are more than capable of taking care of themselves and Watt."

"Wake, the last time we went with one of your ideas, it ended up with you smashed in the back of the head and me nearly losing an arm. I don't want anything to happen to them or Watt. If something happens to her while we're trying to help, how will her parents react if they do find them?"

"Those boys will be fine. They will not let anything happen to Watt or each other."

Mist knew that Wake's mind was made up, and decided to accept his idea. She simply sighed and said, "If anything happens to them, I won't forgive you."

"Deal. Don't worry so much though. You've seen them before. They'll be fine."

"It's in a mother's nature to worry about her kids, but I trust you and I trust them."

After they finally came to the agreement, it was time to fill the rest of them in about Wake's newest plan. When they got back to River, Zel, and Watt, they saw that Watt had actually fallen asleep next to Zel and River. They both simply smiled at the scene, and decided to take Watt back to their home to rest. They'd tell them about the plan later.

Wake walked over to the sleeping Shinx and easily picked her up into his arms, careful not to disturb her sleep. Mist gathered the baskets all together and beckoned River and Zel to follow them back home.

* * *

The family found themselves at their cave much earlier than they expected they'd be. Wake walked in and set Watt down on top of one of their beds and continued to let her sleep. Mist reorganized what berries they didn't eat back into their stash, and then proceeded to sit at the mouth of the cave, the exact same way she did when River ran away.

Both brothers decided that since they wouldn't be able to use up any energy swimming, to go have another practice session. They didn't know it, but that was the single-most best thing they could've done at that time, for when Watt woke up, Wake's plan would be told to them all.

Time passed, and eventually both brothers returned to their home and called it a day. The sun was almost hidden behind the tree line now, and Watt was just starting to come to. She lifted her head up to see that she was not at the beach where she fell asleep and also felt that she was not laying on sand anymore, but leaves.

"Where am I?" she asked, not knowing that she wasn't even facing in the direction of anyone.

"We brought you to our home," Mist said from behind Watt, who turned herself around to see who she was talking to. "We figured you'd be better off sleeping here than on the shore. But now there's something we need to tell you, you and the boys." She turned herself to look at Zel and River, who were just lying down, doing nothing but rest, "Zel, River, come here. We have to tell you something."

Wake had overheard Mist and already appeared on the scene. As River, Zel, and Watt sat down in front of the parents, Mist started what she had to say, "Watt, we are going to help you find your family, but neither me nor Wake are going to be the ones helping you. River and Zel are going to be the ones going with you to find your parents."

Everyone sitting there had their eyes suddenly shot open. No one could believe that they really wanted Zel and River to be the ones to help Watt. Zel's mind was filled with excitement, as to be expected, but River's was filled more with caution. "Are you really sure that you want us to go with Watt? It would seem like you guys could do more than we ever could," River said.

"Both you and Zel are fully capable of helping Watt," Wake explained. "You've already proven yourselves in a fight. Just trust each other and work as a team; your bond as bothers will already help you with that. But don't go picking fights. Only attack in self-defense."

"But how will we start?" River asked. He still wasn't able to believe what his parents suggested. Watt also was a little nervous. She would've preferred it if she were in the protection of the larger Floatzels. She wasn't quick to knock it, though. She was willing to take any chance to find her family.

"I've got an idea. Watt, do you remember where you ran from?" Mist asked, turning to the little Shinx.

"Oh, uh, yea. I think I do…"

"Then that's where you'll start. We'll see you off tomorrow morning. We trust you two; that's why we're doing this," Mist explained. Her mother's instinct alarms were all blaring in her head, but she just blocked them out. She trusted her two sons.

"Just remember: You're going to find Watt's family, not to sightsee. Don't forget that," Wake told the brothers.

"Don't worry. I'll keep Zel on task," River said, earning a disdainful look from his brother.

"Well, it's late now. We should all probably be getting to sleep soon," Mist said. The sun was almost completely behind the trees, and the sky was already starting to turn black. The wind was still blowing across the trees, rustling their branches every so often. All the family went to their respective beds, while Watt went to the one they had put together earlier in the day.

It didn't take long before the whole family was out cold, but Watt was still awake. She got up from her bed and walked to the mouth of the cave. Looking at the moon in the sky, she began to cry. However, she wasn't the only one who was still awake. Zel wasn't able to fall asleep instantly and heard Watt start crying. He got up from his bed and walked over to Watt.

"You alright?" he asked her, talking in a quiet tone to avoid waking the rest of the family.

Watt turned to see the Buizel looking down at her. In her mind, it looked like he had the most caring look on his face. She knew she could trust this family, but she missed her family. "This is the first time I've ever been away from them. My brother would always sleep right next to me, keeping me warm," tears started to drop from her eyes, "I miss them so much…"

"I sorta know how you feel. When my brother ran away, I was a complete wreck the whole time. But when he returned, everything was better than before. The same thing will happen with you and your family. We will find them, I promise." Zel had started stroking Watt along her back, assuring her that he meant every word he said.

Watt's eyes lit up at Zel's promise. If she had any doubts about going with him and River before, she now knew she was in good hands. "Thank you… River."

"Heh heh, I'm Zel."

"Huh? I thought that Zel was the younger brother. You're the taller one, so I assumed you'd be the older brother," Watt said.

"Well, River didn't exactly pick up on my father's height," Zel explained, "I've been taller than him for quite a while now."

Watt simply stared in confusion, "So the younger brother is taller. I'll have to remember that," she said, blushing a little afterwards, realizing that now she got a detail mixed up with him, "I guess we're even now."

Zel simply laughed a little and then silenced himself to avoid waking his family. "C'mon, we should probably get some sleep. We don't want to be tired when we meet your parents."

"Ok, Zel."

Both Pokemon got up from where they were sitting and returned to the inside of the cave. Zel got on top of his bed and was quick to get comfortable, but was soon joined by another. Watt had wanted to sleep next to Zel, like she used to with her brother. Zel smiled and let out a few silent chuckles. He pat Watt on the head and proceeded to wrap his tail around her. After they were situated, he quickly fell asleep. Sleeping next to Watt was a new experience for him. It was much warmer than just sleeping by himself.

Watt wasn't able to fall asleep for a while. She wondered if her family was safe, but she knew that Zel would keep true to his promise and they would together find them. Looking just in front of her, she saw the sleeping Buizel look so calm and happy. She smiled, so happy that she had someone so willing to help her.

"Thank you, Zel…" and she fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

It was quiet in the Sea Weasel home. Mist had just gathered up some berries for breakfast. She saw both of her sons, River and Zel, walking towards the pile of berries she had laid out, along with the Shinx they were temporarily housing, Watt. She turned around to grab a few more berries, but when she turned back there was no one there.

"River? Zel? Watt? Where'd you all go?" she called out. A paw on her shoulder caused her to spin around to see her mate, Wake. He had a saddened look on his face.

"Mist, have you forgotten? They were all lost in the forest…" he said somberly.

Mist's eyes grew big and her breathing heavy. 'No,' she thought to herself. 'No, they can't be gone… they just can't.' The entire world around Mist started to distort and grow black. She felt like a thousand arrows were stabbing at her. Soon everything went completely black. Everyone-Wake, Zel, River, and Watt-they all disappeared from Mist.

"No, come back! Please come back!" The world around her just continued to darken. It felt like she was falling from an incredible height with the ground close approaching.

"No!"

The world around her suddenly had color again. The bright, vibrant rays of sunlight were just starting to show in the field in front of their home. It was morning.

* * *

Mist looked around the entire area that made up their home. To her left was Wake, and behind her were the three kids, all of them still sound asleep. She rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't hallucinating; she didn't want to have to go through that feeling she just had again.

'But what was that feeling?' Mist asked herself. 'That dream… it seemed so real.' She got up from her bed and walked towards the mouth of the cave. 'Is that really what's going to happen or am I just worrying too much?' she asked herself again. One of her paws moved over to where her wound was. She was able to protect Zel once before, but with her not around she wouldn't be able to protect him again. Mist didn't want to let her children go into the forest, but the plan was already set. It would be traumatic to Watt if the search for her parents and brother was called off.

She just sat back down at the mouth of the cave, leaning against a rock. Her mind started to drift, making up every possible negative scenario the two brothers might encounter in the forest. She tried her best to focus on something else, but it was like some foreign force was preventing that.

"Hey, you feeling alright?" a voice called out to Mist. She turned to see Wake up and alert. He bore a slight smile as a way to try and get Mist to cheer up, but with what he knew was on her mind, it really wouldn't have worked.

"Yes. I'm fine," she replied.

"C'mon, tell the truth. You're still worrying over the boys and Watt, aren't you?" He got it right exactly with that statement. Mist was worrying and nothing she did could stop it. "Listen, you just need to have faith in them. You've seen them in action before; you know how powerful they are. You just need to believe that they'll do what they've been tasked with and complete it with no trouble at all." All his words may have seemed reassuring, but truth is even Wake was in a state of worry as well. Only difference is he's just able to control it better than Mist is.

Mist tried to believe, but she just wasn't strong enough, mentally, to do so. All she could do was worry. Wake caught onto this and moved to sit down next to her, wrapping his arms around her to at least attempt to calm her down. It worked to keep her mind off all the negative thinking, but not enough to calm her worries.

Meanwhile, back in the cave, the rest of the Pokemon started to stir. The first to open their eyes was Watt, whose first sight of the day was a picture of Zel's sleeping face. He had a small smile going, and Watt just silently giggled at the sight of the sleeping Buizel.

"Good morning. How'd you sleep last night?" Zel said as he opened one of his eyes, proving that he was very much awake. The smile never drifted from his face though.

Watt jumped up a little. She definitely wasn't expecting Zel to already be awake. "How long have you been up?" she asked.

Zel moved his tail out from around Watt and sat himself upright. His face caught an eyeful of sunlight and the bright light temporarily blinded him. He shifted his head around so he was facing away from the sun and answered Watt's question, "Not very long. I woke up and saw that you were still asleep, so I decided that I'd just wait until you woke up yourself." Zel shot another smile at Watt, causing her to turn in slight embarrassment. There was something about him that just made her feel… safe.

Watt herself now sat up and stretched out her legs. She looked around for a bit before opting to just sit and wait for something to happen. She didn't want to wait much longer though. Her family was still waiting to be found.

Zel had the same thing on his mind. He wondered how her family would take to him, if they'd be nice or not so much… There really wasn't any reason for them to be aggressive towards them, but you never know… He, too, looked around his home, noting that both his parents were already awake, but out of view somewhere, and that his brother was still asleep. That was quick to change though, as all the talking between Zel and Watt was suffice enough to rouse him from his sleep.

He let out a large yawn as he sat himself upright, "Morning, you two. Are Mom and Dad up already?" he asked, still rubbing the sand from his eyes.

"Yea, they're up, but I don't know where they are," Zel responded. "Think they'll mind if we start breakfast without them?"

Both River and Watt chuckled at Zel's question. It was so typical of him to always be thinking about food, especially breakfast. "Nah, I don't think they'll mind. The longer we wait the less daylight we'll have anyways," River replied. Even he had his mind on the upcoming search. He was the one still a little cautious of the whole deal, but he knew his parents weren't going to change their minds. Besides, someone had to keep Zel in line.

All three of them walked over to the side of the wall, Zel and River leading while Watt just followed because she didn't know where all their food was kept. She was used to finding the berry trees and just eating from them when her and her family needed food. She was always told not to take more than needed, so as to not be wasteful. Her mind was filled with the condition of her family; she worried about them, but she just needed to wait a little longer. After breakfast, she was certain that she and the two brothers were going to be searching for her family. She'd only been away from them for less than a day, but it felt like an eternity to her.

Both brothers had stopped at the side of the wall and grabbed hold of a fair sized rock leaning against it. As they moved it aside, a hole containing a very large amount of berries of every kind appeared. Their parents tried to keep this area secret from the brothers, but they eventually found out about it. They weren't allowed to take from it without their permission though; however, for breakfast now, they were sure that they wouldn't mind.

The trio grabbed an assortment of berries from the storage, not taking any more than what they needed, which was actually a really hard thing for Zel to do. All those delicious berries, but he knew if he took more than what he needed, he'd get in trouble for being wasteful. Even the brothers were taught that rule of not wasting anything. He did manage to find a Wacan Berry in the mix though… and wasted no time in downing that berry first.

River was a bit pickier on what he ate this time. He grabbed mainly Oran and a few Sitrus Berries, focusing in on getting as much energy as he could. He also grabbed a Chesto Berry to help wake him up and keep him alert.

Watt didn't mind what berries she got. She took a little bit of everything. Oran, Pecha, Leppa-she didn't mind any of 'em. Her favorite has always been a Bluk Berry though, even though they turn her mouth completely black afterwards. That was the main reason she loved that berry so much. She didn't happen to find one in the current stash but wasn't disappointed. She could live without a Bluk Berry.

As the trio was halfway through their breakfast, Mist and Wake re-entered the cave. Upon seeing that they were already eating breakfast, they, too, decided some breakfast for them would be good. Wake hoped some food would help calm Mist, but that wasn't too likely. Only her knowing the boys were safe would ease her mind.

The two Floatzel each grabbed a few berries from the storage. Mist was able to eat down a few berries, but after that she just lost all her appetite. She couldn't eat knowing what was going to happen when they'd get done.

River, being a bit more attentive than his brother, noticed that something was off with his mother. "Hey, Mom, you feeling alright?" River asked. His question was basically the same that Wake asked her a bit earlier. Wake was the one to respond to River though, and merely shook his paw to try and tell him not to get on that subject.

River understood his gesture, but Zel was a bit more naïve. "What's wrong with Mom?" He was instantly met with an elbow to his arm, River's elbow. "Hey, what was that-" River again hit Zel's arm, cutting him off. He then shook his head, hoping that Zel got the message this time. He just looked at River, then over at his mother. The look on her face was enough to silence him; he at least knew that that she wasn't feeling well.

River, however, was a bit smarter on what was troubling his mother. He knew that it dealed with what he, his brother, and Watt were doing that day. He wanted to try to assure her, too, but decided it'd be best to just stay silent for the time being.

With breakfast over, Mist just felt like she was going to collapse. She was starting to get fatigued from all the thoughts running through her head, wreaking havoc on her body. Wake realized that the longer they delay, the more damage Mist will do to herself. Plus, they didn't have all day to lollygag around anyway. It was finally time for the search to begin.

Wake had gathered the trio at the mouth of the cave. Mist was also present but was just on the brink of total mental collapse. This whole ordeal was doing more damage to her than anyone would've guessed, but there was no turning back now.

"Ok, you three know what to do, right?" Wake asked them all.

"Yea, Watt'll lead us to where she last remembers seeing her family and we go from there," River replied. 'I'm also to keep Zel on task and from going to explore the forest,' he added in his mind.

"That's right. We've made a sack of berries for you. Only eat these when it's fully required. See if you can save some for Watt's family, in case they need food." Wake handed River the sack with all the berries in it. He swung the bag over his shoulder and wore it like a backpack. "Alright, is there anything else?" The whole group shook their heads. "Then off you all go, and be careful." With that last bit of advice, the trio again shook their heads and turned to walk away, Watt leading and the brothers following.

Mist watched everything from inside the cave. She gave a weak wave to the group. It really was all she could do; she was too weak from mental fatigue to do anything else. Zel glanced back at his mom and gave her a thumbs-up and a smile. The seemingly simple gesture both helped and hurt Mist's mind. It helped by reminding her that her children are doing something to help one in need, but what if that's the last time she'll ever see her kids again?

When they were beyond the tree line, Wake walked back over to Mist, "Hey, I think we should go to the lake. The water'll help you calm down." He helped Mist to her feet and the two slowly walked towards the path leading to the lake. With one final glance over her shoulder, Mist saw the last of her kids disappear into the trees.

* * *

"Ok, Watt, do you remember the way that you came from yesterday?" River asked the Shinx. They hadn't been walking that long, but he wanted to make sure they still had their best-rather, only-lead.

"Yea, I think so... I really wasn't paying attention to where I was exactly going, but I can get a general direction," she replied.

'Better than nothing.' "Ok, we'll follow you. Just tell us if you see anything."

Watt nodded and started off deeper into the woods. Both brothers were on high alert for any signs of danger. River was actually quite surprised that his brother wasn't gazing around randomly into the forest. He focused straight forward but seemed ready to change direction should anything go amiss.

Zel remembered what he promised Watt the night before. He was entirely willing to put aside his innate want to explore the forest in favour of helping Watt. He'd have plenty of time for exploring after she was safe with her parents.

After a while of walking, everyone had their guards lowered a bit. They've been walking for this long and haven't even so much as seen a single dangerous Pokemon. They've witnessed a few random Bug and Flying types in the trees, but nothing that warrants a need to defend themselves. A thought crossed both brothers' minds: why were their parents so adamant on not letting either of them into the forest? Nothing seemed even the least bit dangerous.

Watt seemed to slow a little as they progressed further. Something wasn't sitting right with her.

Zel was the one who caught onto this first, "Hey, is something wrong?"

She looked around the path they were on, noticing a familiar mark on one of the trees. "We passed by here shortly before being attacked," she replied, her voice starting to waver a bit. "Where we first saw them should be just up ahead."

Knowing this, both brothers got their minds focused on their surroundings. If these Pokemon jumped them like they did Watt's family, it really wouldn't end well for them. But even after walking for another few minutes, nothing came at them. Nothing was hiding in the bushes or trees, ready to ambush any unsuspecting Pokemon.

River stole a gaze up ahead and saw something wrong with a small clearing. "What the?" Focusing his vision, the entire area looked as black as night. "Watt, look up ahead. Is that area familiar?"

Watt had already noticed this area and nearly stopped completely in her tracks. "Y-Yea… that's where we first saw them…" She just about broke out into tears. This was the area where her parents and brother fell to those foul Pokemon and where she had left her family. All the memories of that time flooded the poor Shinx's head. Her eyes started to water up with tears.

Zel bent down next to her and stroked her along her back. It was something to try and get her to calm down. "Watt, listen, take this as a good sign. This is where your family last was so they couldn't have gotten far," he said to Watt. She ceased her crying for a moment then nodded her head. A few moments later, and she was ready to continue. "That's better. Now c'mon. Let's check it out. We might find some clues around there." Everyone agreed to his suggestion, and the trio moved towards the battle-scarred area.

The clearing was nearly an unrecognizable part of the forest. Trees, plants, grass-it all was completely charred black. Only this certain area was damaged though. Looking out just a little ways, the rest of the forest foliage remained unharmed. There was no sign of any Pokemon in the area though.

"Wow, this damage is amazing. It's a miracle the whole place didn't burst into flames." River said as he placed his paw on a piece of charred bark, only to have it crumble away into ash on his paw. He wiped the ash off him and continued to search for any clues. Watt and Zel were also searching the area.

Watt was both scared and, strangely, excited. She knew she was close to her family, just how close remained to be seen. Unfortunately, no matter how hard or how long they searched the area, no clues came up to the whereabouts of Watt's family. They all gathered in the center of the clearing to try and plan what they should do next.

"Well, I'm stumped," Zel called out first. "I really don't see anything about this area that can help us." Watt winced at Zel's words. All they did was just discourage the little Shinx even more.

"Yea, I don't know either," River replied. "Watt, do you have a clue what to do now?"

"N-No…" She once again felt like breaking into tears. The only lead they had turned to a dead end. 'Mom, Dad, Cord-where are you?' She wished in her mind to know the location of her family, that's all she wanted.

Both brothers felt kinda bad that they weren't able to find any clues for finding Watt's family, especially Zel. He still had a promise to keep. As the two brothers tried to form a plan of action, a tremendous amount of electricity suddenly surged through the sky, illuminating the forest with a tremendous blue light.

"What in the hell is that?" River shouted. Both brothers had ducked down, even though the lightning was high in the sky. They didn't want any to come near them.

"I don't know!" Zel shouted back. "Was that an attack!" The bright blue electricity vanished from the sky as quick as it appeared.

While the brothers hunkered down a bit, Watt just stood and stared at the sky. "Guys… that was an attack and I know what it is…" Watt said quietly. The two Buizel looked at Watt, wondering just exactly how she knew that lightning. "It's my dad's Discharge!" she shouted out.

"What? No way," River responded, slightly dumbstruck. That attack was an immense amount of electricity, and if its wielder was having trouble against these assailants with power like that, River was getting extremely worried that these Pokemon might be able to defeat them even quicker.

"Hurry up, you two! My family's close by!" Watt shouted. She immediately darted off towards the direction the lightning came from, prompting the brothers to follow. 'I'm coming, everyone,' Watt said in her mind. Her wish had been granted; she knew where her family was again. But she was also worried. For her dad to have to use his Discharge only meant that they were in trouble.

As the distance towards the source of the electricity shortened, the sounds of battling could be heard. Watt was able to pick out her dad's sounds, but they were of pain. "Hurry! My dad's getting hurt!" she cried out to the Buizel brothers.

"River, I'm going ahead!" Zel called out. He formed a stream of water around him and shot off the ground, using his Aqua Jet to gain an incredible speed boost.

"Zel, no! Get back here!" River protested, but Zel was already out of range. "Crap! Watt, hold your breath!" He dropped the bag of berries on his back, picked Watt up, and mimicked what Zel did: use his Aqua Jet to get a speed boost. However, he had to be careful; he was also holding onto Watt, and she couldn't hold her breath as long as either he or Zel could.

Zel broke off his jet just short of the battle zone. He hid behind a tree and poked his head out from behind it, but the area was empty! All that was left was charred greenery, just like at the past clearing. River was close behind and broke off his jet behind Zel. Watt was coughing and gasping for air as she was set back on the ground. River then moved next to his brother on the opposite side of the tree.

"Did you see anyone?"

"No, it was completely empty when I arrived."

The two just stayed behind the tree for the next few minutes, watching every inch of the clearing ahead. Some trees still had flames lingering on their branches. Whoever shot off that massive amount of electricity wasn't in the area anymore.

Watt, after regaining her breath, poked her head out from behind Zel. She was looking for any sign of her family but saw none. She was so sure that the electricity was her dad's Discharge attack though, and wherever they were, they couldn't have gotten far in a minute's time.

After another few minutes, the group cautiously moved out from behind the tree. In the middle of the clearing they were at a massive disadvantage should anyone decided to launch an attack. They shouldn't stand there too much longer.

Zel's eyes were as locked onto any movement in the trees as they were when he was watching for River. Nothing seemed out of place; however, a dark shimmering made him realize that whoever was there knew they were there. The shimmering object grew bigger and closer to the trio. It was a dark sphere of energy-aimed directly at Watt!

"Look out!" Zel grabbed onto Watt and jumped clear of the orb. River followed suit and the orb harmlessly impacted the ground. Well, harmless to them. The orb exploded with such fury, dust and grass were kicked up in all directions from the impact zone. All eyes were immediately focused on the direction the orb came from, and not much later did the figure that fired the attack speak.

"Hee hee hee hee… what have we here? Aren't you that same little Shinx that ran away from us last time?" the figure spoke. It finally manifested into a semi-physical form. A mainly purple looking Pokemon with fierce, red eyes and an extremely large grin planted on its face.

Watt froze up again at the Pokemon. "Tha-That's one of th-the P-P-Pokemon that atta-attacked us," she stuttered out.

Zel made the first advance towards this Pokemon. "Hey! What have you done with Watt's family?" he shouted towards the purple, Ghost type Pokemon.

"Hmm? That group of Luxray and that Luxio? Why should I tell you? You're gonna see for yourself anyways." The Pokemon let out a loud cackle after it spoke.

This only infuriated Zel all the more. He was ready to charge full-on at this Pokemon. River noticed Zel's over-ambition to attack. "Zel, don't you dare! You can't take on this guy alone! We need a plan."

Zel simply blew off River's words. "Here's my plan!" He charged forward a few yards then inhaled, ready to fire off his Water Gun.

"Heh, fool." The Ghost type Pokemon disappeared for an instant. A second later, he reappeared in front of Zel, its fist planted firmly into Zel's gut. Zel let out a gasp, a little of his water flew out of his mouth with it. With a fist planted in his gut, he struggled to get any breath. Moments later, he went limp, only being held up by the Pokemon's fist. Zel just groaned in pain as more water dribbled from his mouth. When the Pokemon removed its fist, Zel just fell down to the ground, out cold. "Hee hee hee… Sucker Punch."

"Zel! Are you alright? Wake up!" River shouted, but his brother was completely unconscious. He faced towards the Pokemon responsible. He had to get back at this Pokemon for injuring his brother, but he also needed to protect Watt. Occupying this Pokemon is the best way to accomplish that. "Get back to the trees!" he ordered Watt. She obeyed and retreated. Meanwhile, River formed another stream of water around him, shooting at the Ghost type with his Aqua Jet. However, he was unable to get to his target. Another dark sphere came from behind the trees and nearly blindsided River. He caught sight of it, broke his jet, and the orb just barely missed him, continuing on into the trees.

"Aww… I missed," a different voice proclaimed. Another Pokemon manifested into the battle. It looked almost the same as the first Pokemon but had no legs and its hands were just floating by its sides. "Let's not miss this time." Another dark orb formed in the Pokemon's hands, and then it hurled the orb at River.

River countered the attack with a Water Gun of his own. The orb overloaded and blew up mid-air. "Oh, c'mon… Why you gotta be like that? Oh well, let's see you counter this one." The Pokemon again charged another dark sphere, but concentrated even more energy into it, forming a much larger attack.

Right then, something clicked in River's mind. This Pokemon was focusing its energy into an orb, and he felt like he could do the same with his internal water energy. Focusing, he attempted to form an orb of water just like his opponent did with its darkness.

The Ghost Pokemon hurled his much larger attack at River, nearly causing him to instantly drop his concentration and dodge, but he stood firm, continuing to focus on this orb of water. With one final burst of energy into his paws, a blue, pulsating orb of water formed in between his paws. Like the Ghost Pokemon did with his attack, River hurled it to meet its opponent's attack. The orb left a wake of water in its path, moving exceptionally faster than the attack of his enemy.

When the two attacks met in mid-air, both dispelled their energy into the other. Although the Ghost's attack was much larger, it was also more unstable. The impact with River's attack shattered the energy holding the attack together. A plume of smoke erupted from the collision, blinding both River and the assailant. However, from the assailant's side, River's attack managed to stay together through the impact and continued towards its target.

It quickly moved to either dodge or guard the attack, but wasn't fast enough for either. The attack slammed into its face, dispelling the remaining energy it held, which was still substantial.

The smoke had cleared, and River was able to see that his attack still made contact. 'Heh, wow. Looks like both of us have our own little moves, huh, Zel?' he remarked in his mind, but it also reminded him of his brother's condition. Quickly spinning around, he saw Zel still face-first on the ground; the one responsible hovering above him. River focused another orb of water into his paws and readied to attack.

"Don't even try it, kid," the Pokemon calmly responded to River's hostility. "You may have been able to connect that attack to that weakling, but I will be an entirely different story." River disregarded the Pokemon's words and fired off his attack. "Fool." The orb of water was quickly met by an orb of darkness, one about equal size to the one River previously dueled with but much, much more stable. It easily shattered River's attack and continued on. River barely had any time to react and dodge, but he somehow managed to do so.

River regained his composure and tried to formulate some plan. However, the one he previously fought wasn't out of the fight yet. Behind River, the weakened Pokemon charged up another attack. Unfortunately for it, and unknown to River, the attack it was hit with was a Water Pulse, which has the ability to confuse the target. Unable to make out which one to fire at, the confused Pokemon just let his attack fly.

River noticed the sound of the attack from behind him and turned to face it, but the attack missed him by inches and instead aimed for the larger Ghost type. Although it was a surprise to it, the Pokemon simply batted the stray attack away. "This has gone on long enough," it declared with a tone of agitation in its voice. "Time to end this, once and for all."

River stood at the ready, prepared for whatever this Pokemon would throw at him, or at least he thought. The Ghost type vanished into thin air and rematerialized behind River. As he spun back around, the Pokemon grabbed River by the cheeks and directed his gaze to its eyes. "Time to go night-night." Its eyes were glowing bright red as it forced River to gaze into them.

No matter how much he struggled, River couldn't escape from the grip he was in. He was also unable to not look into the Pokemon's eyes. He started to slip in and out of consciousness. Every ounce of energy and awareness he had was slowly drifting from his body. He tried his best to stay conscious, but the Pokemon's passive attack was too powerful and was able to fully knock River out. He was then thrown out of the way and landed right next to his brother on the ground.

"I told you it was pointless to take me on," the Pokemon declared to the unconscious brothers. The tone of its voice had changed from the easiness it was before to one of extreme seriousness. "Now for the unfinished business."

Watt had watched in disbelief. Just like with her family, the Pokemon defeated the two brothers just like her family. "No, not again." She began to run away, just like she did the time before, but the third assailant finally made itself known and stopped Watt dead in her tracks.

A black sphere encased in a purple cloud of gas appeared in front of Watt. "You're not getting away this time, little Shinx." Its eyes then glowed blue as it used its Mean Look ability, effectively preventing Watt from escaping. She tried to run; she tried to move, to get away, but nothing worked. She was now being surrounded by the same Pokemon that defeated both her family and the two brothers. An uncontrollable fear washed over her, and before the Pokemon could do anything to her, she blacked out from fear.

"Pathetic. Gather these three up, especially those two Buizel. They're young and powerful, so their dreams will be very tasty and they won't die too soon. Hurry up and get them back to our lair." With that said, the Pokemon instantly phased out of sight.

Snapped out of confusion, the Haunter gathered up all three Pokemon. The task was left to him because the Gastly had no arms and the Gengar was the boss. The Haunter grumbled a bit, irritated that he had to do all the grunt-work, but the thought of the tasty dreams that he'd get from these three pushed all irritation out of his mind.

* * *

Back at the lake, Wake and Mist were just sitting on the sands of the shoreline. Mist was still feeling fatigued, but was slightly better than she was before. That all changed, however, when she felt an eerie chill creep up her spine. Her breathing started to grow slow and staggered. She instantly recognized this feeling-it was exactly like what was in her dream! As it turned out, the chill came at the same time River and Zel fell to the Ghost types.

"No… River. Zel. No…" Her breathing started to become even shakier. She once again felt like the thousand arrows were stabbing at her. Well, it felt more like a million arrows this time. She somehow knew her kids were defeated, and their defeat pushed her fatigue to extreme limits. She lost all control over her body as she went limp and collapsed to the ground.

"Mist? Mist, what's wrong? Mist!" Wake just sat beside his mate as she drifted into unconsciousness. "Mist, wake up!" He tried everything in his power to revive Mist, but she was in a coma; nothing he could do now would wake her. He hefted her up onto his shoulders and ran as fast as he could back to their home. He himself knew that something was wrong with the brothers. Only something happening to them could send Mist into this horrible of a state of shock.

'Dammit, boys. Don't give up yet. There's one more life you need to save now. Come back safely; your mother's life may very well depend on it.' He only hoped the brothers could hear his message, but that's all he could do: hope. All he could do was hope that they were still alive and treat Mist as best he could.

As he got to the cave, he set Mist down on a bed of leaves, grabbed a piece of cloth that they scavenged, doused it with water, and put it over Mist's forehead. There was really nothing else he could do but monitor her condition.

Frustrated, he slammed his paw against the side of the cave. 'Dammit… This never would've happened if I just went myself…' He sighed at his own stupidity, realizing that all of this was happening because of his plan. He looked over his shoulders to his unconscious mate. 'I'm sorry, Mist. This was just another stupid idea by me.' He moved to the entrance of the cave and stood there, staring out into the forest.

'Be strong, River, Zel. I know you'll pull through… You've got to.'


End file.
